BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I – MEETINGS
1. Regular membership meetings will be held the second Wednesday of each month at the
Dover Community Center according to the following schedule:
January (8:00 pm) July (8:30 pm) February (8:00 pm) August – no meeting March (8:00 pm) September (8:00 pm) April (8:00 pm) October (8:00 pm)
May (8:30 pm) November – no meeting
June (8:30 pm) December – no meeting
2. The Board of Directors shall meet immediately prior to each regular meeting.
3. In the event that a special meeting would be called, all members shall be notified by the Secretary at least three (3) days prior to said meeting.
4. Each team should have one representative at each meeting.
5. The vote of an officer, director or head coach may be cast by his representative at any meeting.
6. Any head coach holding elected office shall be entitled to cast one vote only.
7. All Spring Coaches or team representative are required to be at the March, April, May and June membership meetings. All Fall Ball coaches or team representative are required to be at the June, July, September and October meetings.
8. In order to cast a vote, a coach must have attended three (3) spring meetings and/or (3) fall meetings.
7. Meetings shall be open to all members of the organization.
ARTICLE II – POWERS OF OFFICERS
1. PRESIDENT
The President shall appoint the chairman, approve members of standing committees and appoint special committees. He/she will be a member of all standing committees and shall be the executive officer of Dover Baseball/Softball (DBS). He/she shall also be the chairman of the Board of Directors. The president shall represent DBS before the public, either personally or through delegates, and shall perform all other functions usually attributed to this office.
2. VICE-PRESIDENT
The vice-president shall preside over meetings as the president in his absence and shall perform the functions usually attributed to this office. He shall work closely with one or more committees as the president may suggest. The vice- president shall be in charge of disciplinary actions against parents, players, coaches and other spectators.
3. SECRETARY
The secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all meeting. He shall maintain a file with a current copy of the Constitution and By-Laws as well as keep all records that pertain to the functions of DBS. The secretary shall perform any other duties usually attributed to the office.
4. TREASURER
The treasurer shall receive and have custody of all money, notes and other funds and securities of DBS. He shall deposit sum in such bank of trust company as designated by the Board and shall keep accurate records of all transactions. He shall pay such bills as are approved by the Board. He shall render a complete accounting of all receipts and disbursements at each regular meeting. At the expiration of his term of office, he shall deliver all monies, property and rights of DBS to his successor or to the president. He shall have his books audited a minimum of once a year by a committee appointed by the president prior to the regular elections and shall present an annual fiscal report. This shall be done at the end of the fiscal year in January. The Treasurer’s term shall run January to January, however the elections will take place during the same time as the rest of the elections. This will give a three month training period for the new treasurer.
5. TERMS AND SUCCESSION
The officers shall be elected for a one-year term by a majority vote of the membership. Nominations will be accepted at the July meeting. Voting will take place at the September meeting. Outgoing officers shall relinquish their positions at the October meeting, except for the Treasurer, who will take over in January. Newly elected officers will then take office and assume their duties. Any offices becoming vacant between elections shall be filled as provided in DBS Constitution.
ARTICLE III – POWERS OF THE BOARD
1. The Board shall be responsible for the management of DBS and carry out policies established by the voting membership.
2. The current Executive Board shall resolve any problems during the year not covered by the Constitution or By-Laws.
3. The Board will hold an annual organization meeting in March each year that will be open to all members as well as to the parents or guardians of each registered child in the program. The Board members will discuss DBS’s current objectives and assign children to their respective teams.
ARTICLE IV – DIRECTORS AND DUTIES
1. The directors of DBS shall be members in good standing prior to their election.
2. Directors will be elected to three (3) year terms by a majority vote of the voting membership present. Terms of the Directors shall be staggered such that new directors will be elected each year pending expired terms.
3. Directors will work closely with the officers, commissioners, head coaches and non-voting membership to coordinate the functions of DBS.
ARTICLE V – HEAD COACHES
1. Head coaches will be selected as provided for in the DBS Constitution.
2. Each head coach will select assistant coaches and designate one as first assistant. The first assistant will be in charge when the head coach is not present.
3. Any coach, assistant coach or parent interacting with players at practices and/or games must have updated clearances, every two years.
4. At least one coach must be present at each practice.
5. It shall be the duty of the head coach to promote sportsmanship; character and good moral conduct among all coaches, participants and spectators in keeping with the DBS Constitution and By-Laws.
6. Head coaches will be responsible for all equipment, shirts, uniforms, team fundraisers, etc… issued to him by the DBS.
7. All head coaches will provide instruction in the fundamentals of baseball and/or softball in a manner consistent to the Constitution and By-Laws.
8. Each team must have one representative present at each scheduled fieldwork. Failure to do so when proper notification has been given will result in that team’s forfeiting the use of any practice diamond.
9. All head coaches, assistant coaches, Board members and umpires shall be required to sign a “Code of Conduct” form, which will be available on the website to sign electronically.
10. All coaches shall umpire at least two (2) interlock games per season.
ARTICLE VI – COMMISSIONERS
1. Commissioners will be nominated and voted on by the Executive Board and Board of Directors. Commissioners will be chosen for the following leagues:
• T-Ball
• Coach Pitch League
• 10u
• 13u (both, intramural and traveling teams)
• 16u
• 7U/10U softball
• 12U/14U/16U softball
2. The Commissioners of DBS shall be members in good standing prior to selection. It shall be their duty to promote sportsmanship; character and good moral conduct among coaches, participants and spectators, in keeping with the DBS’s Constitution and By-Laws.
3. Commissioners will be responsible for getting diamonds ready for play for their respective leagues each year.
4. Commissioners are responsible for scheduling fields for all practices and games. The commissioners shall also furnish game schedules to the president and be the point of contact for rescheduling games for the T-ball and Coach Pitch leagues.
5. Commissioners shall resolve any problems that arise in their league or refer said problems to the Board. Any conflicts concerning “rules interpretations” shall be directed to the Umpire-in-Chief.
ARTICLE VII – STANDING COMMITTEES
1. AUDIT COMMITTEE - Appointed to audit the treasurer’s records and approve the annual fiscal report
2 TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE
3 MEMBERSHIP / REGISTRATION COMMITTEE
5 SCHEDULING / UMPIRES COMMITTEE
6 GROUNDS and MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE
7 EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE
8 FINANCIAL (WAYS MEANS) COMMITTEE
9 SPONSORSHIP COMMITTEE
10 TRAINING and EDUCATION COMMITTEE
** All directors of committees shall be appointed in October.
ARTICLE VIII – ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
1 NOMINATIONS
Candidates are to be nominated from the floor at the July regular meeting then tabled for one (1) month. Nominations will be re-opened at the September regular meeting. Voting will then take place after all nominations have been accepted (at the September meeting).
2 ELECTIONS
Elections will be held at the September meeting by ballot if more than one candidate is nominated. New officers will be installed at the October meeting.
ARTICLE IX – REGISTRATION
1 AGE REQUIREMENTS
a) T-BALL LEAGUE
Child must be at least 5 by May 1 of the current playing year.
b) COACH PITCH LEAGUE
Child must be at least 6 by May 1 of the current playing year.
c) 10U INTERLOCK LEAGUE and 10U TRAVEL LEAGUE
DBS recommends this league for children between the ages of 8-
10, however the child must not be 11 or older before May 1 of the current playing year.
d) 13U INTERLOCK AND 13U TRAVEL LEAGUE
DBS recommends this league for children between the ages of 11-
13, however the child must not be 14 before May 1 of the current playing year.
e) 16U TRAVELLING TEAMS
DBS recommends this league for children between the ages of 14-
16, however the child must not be 17 before May 1 of the current playing year.
f) SOFTBALL TRAVELLING TEAMS
Player level is determined by player’s age as of January 1 of playing year.
g) AGE APPROPRIATE PLAY
For safety reasons, DBS reserves the right to move a child (from a higher division to a lower division) in order to play in an age division that is recommended by the By-Laws.
2. Sign-ups after closing date will be subject to a ten-dollar ($10.00) fee per child plus any costs associated with not participating in pre-season fund-raisers.
ARTICLE X – GENERAL RULES FOR PLAYERS
1. Players must attend all scheduled practices.
2. All players must call their coach before practice or games when they will be absent or be subject to disciplinary action by their coach.
3. No short pants at practice or games are permitted for baseball.
4. Players will wear team caps and shirts during a game.
5. Dover Baseball/Softball recognizes a Zero-Tolerance Policy regarding possession and consumption of Alcohol or Controlled Substances as defined by Title 35 PaC.S. 780-102. Any player found to be in violation of this section shall be subject to a suspension to be served as determined by the Board.
6. Dover Baseball/Softball recognizes a Zero-Tolerance Policy regarding tobacco/smoking on school property. No smoking around players benches or at all on school property.
ARTICLE XI – RULES FOR COACHES, PARENTS AND SPECTATORS
1 Do not distract or interfere with a player, coach or umpire during the game.
2 Do not interfere with a team during a game as all team members are expected to be alert to each part of the game. This includes watching the other team perform on the field.
3 Benches and immediate area are for players, coaches and team moms/dads with clearances only.
4 If any coach, parent or spectator distracts or interferes with an umpire or coach during a game, the home plate umpire may, per his discretion, stop the game and warn both team coaches. Coaches are responsible for their respective players, parents and spectators. If this initial warning fails to correct the situation, the home plate umpire will forfeit the game to the opposing team.
5 Any problems arising during the season not covered by the By-Laws shall be submitted to the Board in writing prior to the next scheduled meeting.
6 Dover Baseball/Softball recognizes a Zero-Tolerance Policy regarding possession and consumption of Alcohol or Controlled Substances as defined by Title 35 PaC.S. 780-102. Any coach found to be in violation of this section shall be subject to a suspension to be served as determined by the Board.
ARTICLE XII – LEAGUE SCHEDULES
1 10U and 13U leagues may be divided into American and National divisions.
2 Teams in the 10U league will have a schedule with an equal number of games, approximately 12 total.
3 Teams in the 13U league will have a schedule with an equal number of games against all teams if possible, approximately 12 total.
4 Softball teams will participate in the YCGSL leagues, as approved by the Board.
5 MTAA (interlock league will distribute schedules for the 10U and 13U leagues at the
April meeting.
6 Tee-ball and the Coach Pitch League will be divided, based on the number of participants, into a one division league and will schedule an equal number of games against all teams if possible, approximately 8 to 10.
ARTICLE XIII – PLAYING RULES
All games will be played under the corresponding league rules:
1. 10U/13U Interlock Teams: Interlock League between Manchester, West York, Dover
2. 10U/13U Travel Teams: Susquehanna League
3. 16U Teams: York County Baseball League
4. Softball: York County Junior Girls’ Softball League
5. T-ball rules are added to these By-Laws as Appendix A and shall be referred to as Article A.
6. Coach Pitch rules are added to these By-Laws as Appendix B and shall be referred to as Article B.